Emer Currie (Fine Gael)

I thank the Cathaoirleach and Deputy Feighan. It is great to hear Ms Weir's wisdom as usual and to see both witnesses in Leinster House. What I am about to say is related to Deputy Feighan's comments. We find that attention seems to always focus on the political issues in the North rather than a consistent focus being on social integration, reconciliation and the disconnect North and South. The shared island unit does very good work in that space but a recurring issue has been the prioritisation of reconciliation. Reconciliation means different things to different people. We could do with a conversation around what reconciliation means and identifying ways to bring people together. A very practical and obvious example is the lack of student mobility North and South at third level. The Taoiseach, Deputy Simon Harris, did some work on this in his previous role. There have been moves to address the criteria and to break down the barriers but the numbers of students going North and South is something that has disimproved in the last 25 years rather than improved. There are plenty of other ways in which we can bring about practical opportunities for movement and practical ways to address reconciliation. Multiannual funding is definitely one of those areas on which we need progress. We have our workers on the ground who, as Ms Weir has correctly pointed out, are doing the peacekeeping job 24-7, 365 days a year. That should be recognised through multiannual funding. My real question is around opportunities. Do we focus on partnership in identifying opportunities for things like housing issues that we are facing both North and South? Could have an apprentice scheme for construction that would help North and South and bring opportunities to communities that face cycles of poverty? Is that the space in which the witnesses think we should be? As far as I am concerned, it is about that change, slow as it is. It is about offering people something new, something different and something better.